M4.6 earthquake 181 km WSW of Adak, Alaska
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 181 km WSW of Adak, Alaska on Mon, Apr 16, 1979, 9:56 AM GMT-11 (20:56 UTC), 50 km (31 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.8 222 km WSW of Adak, Alaska. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.6 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-04-16 20:56:22 UTC
- Depth
- 50.0 km (31.1 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 51.452° N, 179.169° W
- Region
- Alaska
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Stations used
- 73
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayAlaska earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000102w. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 7:26 AM UTC.